A Drink Among Friends
by Partners In Fanfic
Summary: A quick oneshot in which Reese finally agrees to go out for a drink with Zoe Morgan. A quick discussion about happy endings ensues, which gets Reese thinking.


**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN PERSON OF INTEREST.**

**A/N: **_Hey, everyone! Long time no write! Hope everyone's surviving without any new POI episodes. =) Anyway, this is just a quick oneshot that's been floating around in my mind for quite some time. Now that it's summer, I actually had some time to sit down and write it down before I forget. Hope you all enjoy it! -EAJP**  
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Another number. Another neighborhood. Another happy family reunited on their front porch.

Standing on the sidewalk next to Zoe Morgan, Reese felt a sense of déjà vu hit him. The only thing that was missing, he observed with a wry smile, was the crowd of reporters for the fixer to chase away.

"Looks like you did it again," Zoe commented, nodding her chin in the direction of the man on the steps embracing his children.

"I had some help," Reese retorted, never one to take the credit.

Zoe shook her head and the duo lapsed into silence again. Once the family was safely inside the house, however, Reese turned to leave.

"How about that drink now?"

Reese paused mid-step. The last time she invited him out for drinks, he had never taken her up on the offer. After he initially said no, it felt odd to call her up and ask to meet her somewhere. It just didn't seem right.

But now she was offering again. The ex-operative turned to face her and said nothing, unsure of how he should answer.

"Come on, John," Zoe teased, "What's a drink among friends?"

Slowly, a smirk formed on Reese's lips. Eventually, he nodded in agreement. "Alright. But you're driving."

The fixer grinned and with a wave of her hand, summoned her town car to the curb.

Awhile later, Zoe and Reese were sitting across from each other, absentmindedly taking sips of their respective drinks. The bar was uptown and the bourbon was good. So were the martinis.

They had made idle small talk, discussing everything from politics ("So, which senator have you been hired to blackmail now?") to the weather ("God, aren't you hot in those suits? It's ninety degrees outside."). But now they had fallen into a comfortable silence, content with simply drinking with company for once.

Suddenly, Zoe looked up at her companion. "Does it ever bother you," she asked, swirling the remainder of the martini in her glass, "Watching everyone else get a happy ending while you never get yours?"

Reese glanced up at her sharply. She could tell she hit a nerve. Good, she thought, that was what she had intended to do. Not that she was trying to be cruel, but Zoe was curious. She wanted to know what made the mystery man tick. There _had _to be something more to him than playing The Man in the Suit. And since she had the time, Zoe was determined to try to find out what that something was.

The man in question traced his finger over the edge of his glass. "I wouldn't help people if I did," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but it _has_ to bother you," she replied casually, "Unless you've already found your happy ending?"

Reese smirked at the cliché term. "Why are you so concerned?"

"Just curious," she replied with a shrug.

Reese bit back a grin. "If I didn't know any better," he mused, humor in his voice, "I'd say you're looking to hear a fairytale."

Zoe frowned at him. Reese continued, "Come on, which princess did you want to be when you grew up?"

The young woman let out a laugh. "I don't see how that's relevant, but none. Unless there's one who can take on corporate executives that I don't know about."

Reese grinned at her from around his glass. "Ah, but you admit you know them."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "You know, I liked you better when you were the quiet and brooding type."

John shrugged at her remorselessly, and Zoe narrowed her eyes when she realized that he had avoided her earlier question. But, needless to say, both of them decided that they should have done this a long time ago (and for now, Zoe let the question slide).

After a few more drinks, Reese felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the text message from Finch.

_Sorry to interrupt your date. New number._

"Have to work?" Zoe asked, eyeing the phone.

Reese glanced up at her apologetically as he made a mental note to remind Finch that this was _not_ a date. The woman waved off the unspoken apology with a nonchalant flick of her wrist.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "I don't mind finishing a drink alone."

John slid off the barstool and paused. "I'll pay," he offered, setting enough bills on the table to cover the tab.

"A true gentleman," she remarked sarcastically.

Reese grinned cheekily. "I try."

Heading toward the door, Reese didn't glance back. He hadn't been completely honest with her earlier. He _had_ minded for a while, giving everyone else the ending he thought he'd never get. It hurt, for a while, to save people he didn't even know from harm when he couldn't save the one person who meant the world to him.

It took him a few months to fully understand, but eventually Reese realized that this situation he found himself in – taking orders from Finch, sneaking up on Fusco, swaying Carter to help him, going out for a drink or two with Zoe – was his ending. On a good day, he even enjoyed himself in this new life and could forget that there was a _reason_ he was there in the first place.

Truthfully, it was probably the as close to happy as he was going to get.

Not that he minded.

In fact, as he disappeared amidst the crowd on the sidewalk, he decided that he didn't mind at all.

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**Like it? Leave a comment...reviews are love and coffee, as always. =)**


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